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“So,” I said as I grabbed my cup, “what happened when you got home?”
“The usual. My parents tried to railroad me, my brothers came to my rescue, they helped bail me out, and now I’m back to figuring out how I can get away,” she said.
“How many brothers do you have?” I asked.
“Three. Do you have any siblings?”
“I do. Two twin brothers. Both younger than me,” I said.
“Do they live on the mountain, too?” she asked.
“Nope. But they do live in Kettle. Just on different mountains. My parents moved to Florida a couple of years back, but we stayed here.”
“Born and raised?” she asked.
“Yep. You?”
“In Seattle, yes.”
“Did you enjoy it there?” I asked.
“I enjoyed it when I wasn’t at home. I loved my schools and the friends I made. But once my father started having opinions on who I was to hang out with, only one of my friends made the cut.”
“Your father doesn’t sound like a very nice man,” I said.
“I’m sure he’s got his redeeming qualities somewhere, but I don’t see them. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about them.”
“Then what would you like to talk about.”
“You,” she said.
My eyes rose and connected with hers as she took a sip of her coffee. She eyed me carefully, like she was sizing me up. And I couldn’t blame her. I was still a stranger to her. A stranger that couldn’t get her out of my thoughts at night.
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“What do you want to know?” I asked.
“Have you always been a recluse?” she asked.
“I’m not a recluse.”
“You live on a mountain by yourself with no friends to speak of.”
“I have friends,” I said.
“What are their names?”
“Leo and Jasper,” I said.
“Those are your twin brothers, aren’t they?” she asked.
“Why can’t they be friends as well as siblings? Aren’t you friends with your brothers?”
“Yes, but they don’t count.”
“That’s not fair. You just said they counted.”
Ava giggled as she took a sip of her coffee and the sound warmed my chest. Her smile lit up her bright hazel eyes, pulling from them yellow specks that reminded me of the sun. She was easy to talk to. Easy to banter back and forth with. It had been a long time since I enjoyed mindless conversation like this with someone.
